A research team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine discovered stem cells in the optic nerve region. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences propose a new theory on how glaucoma may develop and provide insight on treatment possibilities.
"We believe these cells, called neural progenitor cells, are present in the optic nerve tissue at birth and remain for decades, helping to nourish the nerve fibers that form the optic nerve," says study leader Steven Bernstein. "Without these cells, the fibers may lose their resistance to stress, and begin to deteriorate, causing damage to the optic nerve, which may ultimately lead to glaucoma."
Their report is the first time that neural progenitor cells have been identified in the optic nerve. The presence of these cells allows the nerve to repair itself from damage caused by glaucoma or other conditions and opens the door to new treatments aimed at repairing optic nerve damage.
Through close examination of the optic nerve lamina, Bernstein and his team discovered that the progenitor cells may be responsible for insulating long nerve cell fibers immediately after they leave the eye—supporting the connections between nerve cells on their path to the brain.
"It took 52 trials to successfully grow the lamina progenitor cells in a culture," he says. But once this was accomplished they were able to differentiate them into different cells including neurons, and glial cells, “If we can identify the critical growth factors that these cells secrete, they may be potentially useful as a cocktail to slow the progression of glaucoma and other age-related vision disorders," he concludes.